Dear Students,
We are writing to remind you of what to do if you test positive or are experiencing COVID-related symptoms over the weekend and how the university will support you. You may consider saving this email for future reference if you need it.
Symptoms and Testing
-
First, if you are experiencing symptoms, stay home and get tested as soon as possible.
-
If you have a health-related concern, call the Lehigh University Health and Wellness Center (HWC) at 610-758-3870. After hours or over the weekend, there is a clinician-on-call for non-emergency health advice. Provide the answering service with your name and phone number. The clinician-on-call (a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, or physician who works at the HWC) will call you back.
-
The HWC will be open by appointment only for students with COVID-related symptoms this Saturday, September 4, from 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. Please call them at 610-758-3870 to schedule an appointment.
-
Alternatively, you can access Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN) 24/7 nurse triage line at 1-888-402-LVHN to speak with a nurse to assess COVID and other symptoms and discuss testing options. A video visit is also an option. Additional information is available in the guide published here.
-
Additional testing information was provided in yesterday’s message from the COVID Response Team, including walk-in testing options offered by LVHN (scroll down to where it says “Testing Options” at the bottom of the message).
-
Anyone (students, faculty and staff) who was notified or believes they are a close contact may sign up for close contact testing here, even if they are not symptomatic. We have increased and continue to increase availability for testing. You must schedule an appointment through the link.
-
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call the Lehigh University Police Department at 610-758-4200 if you are on Lehigh's campus. If you are not on Lehigh's campus, call 911.
Isolation Housing
Students who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate for at least 10 days (the duration of the infective period) from the time symptoms first appear or, in the case of an individual who has a positive test but has not had any symptoms, 10 days from the date that they were tested.
On-Campus Information
-
Students may choose to complete their isolation at home if they can be transported by private vehicle and NOT by public transportation (plane, train, bus, etc.) or ride-share. Students should email inisohsg@lehigh.edu if they will be isolating at home or another off-campus location. Students completing their isolation period at home must be cleared by the HWC to end isolation and return to campus.
-
If you receive a positive test result from an outside source and you live on campus, you should remain in your residence and notify the Health and Wellness Center by uploading your result to the Patient Portal as soon as possible (even if you are not experiencing symptoms). The HWC will monitor incoming reports throughout the weekend and will send you a secure message through the portal with isolation instructions. Once your information is uploaded in the Patient Portal, please allow for adequate processing time and communicate through the Patient Portal if you have questions about your status. All students should remain in their residence and self-isolate until they receive further relocation directions. The Relocation Team will contact you as soon as possible; however, the HWC needs to confirm your status first, which will occur once you submit your positive test result through the portal (the Relocation Team and Lehigh University Police Department do not have this information and cannot respond to inquiries until they are confirmed by the HWC).
-
If you live on campus and test positive and are remaining on campus for isolation, the Relocation Team will contact you with everything you need to know in regards to isolation housing, including where you will be relocated. If it is after 9 p.m., students are typically given until 8:00 a.m. until the following morning to move into isolation housing. For students living in the residence halls, on-call staff are available who can assist with later moves if there are extenuating circumstances in the overnight hours. The HWC Contact Tracing Team will also follow up with you to facilitate contact tracing.
-
For questions about isolation housing and food, email inisohsg@lehigh.edu. More information on dining is included below.
Dining and Meal Plan Information for On-Campus Students
For students living on campus who require isolation, as part of your general isolation and relocation instructions, the Relocation Team will include specific information about how your meal plan can be used to order take-out food from local businesses and restaurants (via Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, Instacart, etc.).
-
Those who are currently in isolation will be contacted with specific information about the meal-plan process based on your isolation location.
-
For anyone moving into isolation housing beginning Sunday, 9/5, you will receive separate instructions, and the following options will be available for dining depending on the student’s meal plan circumstance.
Any student on a Lehigh University meal plan that is placed in isolation housing has two options, including the option to use your meal swipes in exchange for a Zelle stipend. Students who wish to use this option must opt in using the instructions that are provided.
Option 1: Zelle $25/day (3 meal swipes will be charged/day)
Option 2: Opt out of Zelle, responsible for paying for your own food with no involvement from the University.
Students who reside in residence halls but do not have a University meal plan have two options.
Option 1: Be responsible for paying for your own food with no involvement from the University.
Option 2: Opt in to a $25 a day meal stipend through Zelle. THIS WILL BE BILLED TO YOUR BURSAR ACCOUNT.
Students who live in fraternity or sorority chapter houses will receive specific information from The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.
Off-Campus Information
If you live off campus, you should isolate in your off-campus residence and you will receive an email from the Health and Wellness Center (HWC) Contact Tracing Team.
Any off-campus housemates who are unvaccinated must quarantine (fully vaccinated individuals may get tested but are not required to quarantine).
Students must be cleared by the HWC to end isolation and return to campus.
Students may choose to complete their isolation at home if they can be transported by private vehicle and NOT using public transportation (plane, train, bus, etc.) or ride-share.
-COVID Response Team